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Lord Edward George to lead a panel of business 'Speed Mentors'
Lord Edward George, former governor of the bank of England, is to lead a panel of business experts for the UK's first ever 'speed mentoring' event. Open to all new businesses and start-ups from across the UK, the event aims to help develop and promote the UK's most promising new businesses.
The panel will also feature Sir John Banham (former CBI director-general and more recently Chairman of Whitbread plc), Henry Ashworth (entrepreneur and founder of the Extreme Academy), and Robin Tye (Vice President Communications and Industrial Sectors at IBM Global Services UK, Ireland, South Africa).
The event is being held in London on the 22 November 2005 and is open to all new businesses that are either in the conception stage or have been trading for under one year. Entrants are invited to submit a short application form before the event outlining their business ideas. Application forms can be obtained by emailing speedmentoring@bitepr.com.
The top five will have the opportunity to seek guidance and advice from the panel and benefit from their years of unparalleled experience. Businesses that particularly impress the judges by showing outstanding potential to fulfil their business plans and develop into profitable, prosperous enterprises will be offered the opportunity to use members of the judging panel as business mentors.
Speed mentoring is being staged by Cornwall Pure Business and is supported by EVOKE, the high-growth business start-up service offered by Business Link Devon and Cornwall. Those taking part who start or re-locate in Cornwall may be eligible for the EVOKE service that could provide up to £5,000 towards specialist support and ongoing support from an EVOKE mentor with proven experience of steering a company through rapid growth.
"The fact that nearly half of all new businesses fail within their first two years is an alarmingly high statistic that can stop aspiring entrepreneurs from ever beginning the meticulous planning required to start up," said Lord George. "The aim of the speed mentoring event is to help new businesses become aware of the need for careful planning and organisation from the start, and to provide support and advice that may prove valuable for their business needs."
"Speed mentoring provides the perfect opportunity for new businesses and fledgling start-ups to benefit from the vast experience our panel has to offer," says Danielle Atkins, Inward Investment Manager at Cornwall Pure Business. "The advice they will receive will range from financial and operational advice to information on available grants, funding, marketing and business planning."
EVOKE is funded by Business Link Devon and Cornwall. Richard Adams, Business Link Manager for EVOKE says, "EVOKE specialises in supporting new businesses locating in Cornwall that have the potential to become world class market leaders in their field. Through the Speed Mentoring event we hope to find new businesses that can benefit from the expert advice on offer and use the resources at their disposal to get their ideas to the market place as quickly as possible."
Cornwall Pure Business is a service of Cornwall Enterprise